Improvement in nail-plate feeders



UNITED i OF i- WILLIAM T.- LEAOH Ann CHARLES DEARBORN, OF rnovrnnnonn.1..

IMPROVEMENT lN'NAlL-PLATE F EDE sQi Specification formingpart of LettersPatent No.1 72,860, datedFebruary 1, 1876; application-filed i September23,1875. I, i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM T. LEACH andCHARLES 'H. DEARBORN, of the city and county of Providence, in the Stateof Rhode Island, have invented a new Improvement in Nail-CuttingMachines, of which thefollowing is a specification: 1 n

In the accompanying drawings like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a top view of a nail-cutting machine embodying ourinvention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detailview. Fig. et-shows the feeding mechanism.

Our invention is designed to be used in connection with any nail-cuttingmachine to which it may be adapted. Itconsists of a springing finger, tocrowd the nail-plate snugly against the guard, in order to secure theformation of a perfect head upon the nail, and" also of a holding andfeeding mechanism, herein particularly described, to feed the nail-plateautomatically to the cutting-blade.

The purpose of our invention is to overcome the follo wing difficultiesexperienced in the use of these machines-as heretofore made: To forma-perfect head upon the nail, the plate must be brought in close contactwith the guard, as it is on that side the head is made; otherwise a thinhead is the result, or the nail has no head, in either case being oflittle or no use or value. Again, in these machines, heretofore theplate has been held by springing nosepieces, clutching the plate itself,and the plate, being often bent or irregular in shape, must be forciblycrowded between these springs, thus endangering the gage, against whichthe plate strikes in the rear of the cutting blade, while in ourinvention the holding device clutches only the smooth cylindricalsurface of the feeding rod, and the friction thereby is reduced and isuniform. I

The drawings show a rotary nail-feeder, with its reciprocating gearing,such as is in common use, whereby the barrel A is rotated alternatelyfrom side to side. The nose-pieces a, is a semi-oval groove-ordepression, I), (see I Fig: 3,) which, as the barrel A revolves,receives the button. or knob c of the-finger B. We prefer to make thisknob of brass, so

as to reduce the friction. between it and the tached to the barrel-caseorother portion of the machine.

When the knob rests within the groove, the

' end of the finger is in contact with the nailplate, and crowds itagainst the guard G, and

soinsures the formation of a full, perfect bead at each cutting.

As the barrel continues to revolve, the knob is forced outof its grooveand rides-upon the collar D, and thus withdraws the end of the fingerfrom the nail-plate, and allows the latter to be freely fed to the bladefor another operation, until the barrel revolves so far as to bring theother groove opposite the button, when, by the action of the spring,

I the knob sinks into the groove, and thus brings the finger once morein forcible contact with the nail-plate, for the purpose stated.

The automatic feeding mechanism is attached to the end of the rest H. Itis, operated by the buffer-rod I, the head of =which strikes against thebed of the machine, as shown at J, as the whole barrel and its connectedparts oscillate upon the rocker-bar K. We do not claim as our invention,independently, this rod I, or this method of obtaining motion, but'onlyin combination with the parts shown in Fig. 4.

The feeding mechanism, which is actuated on its under side by the rod I,has a limited motion, longitudinally, turning upon its axle cl, and,when relieved of the pressure of the rod I,

is brought to its. normal position by the spiral springs e 0. Itconsists of a T-shaped piece, L, to which is firmly fixed a dog, f, ofthe shape shown in Fig. 4'. At the side of the upright part of the pieceL, and also turning on the axle d, is the piece M, of the peculiar formshown in the drawings, and carrying a separate and movable dog,f. Thedogf has a slight independent motion, turning on its pivot g, whichpasses into the arm'of theT-shaped piece L, and receiving its motion bymeans of a tenon-like projection, h, which enters the ing against thebed J of the machine, communicates motion to the lower arm of the pieceM, pressing it back, and carrying the upper arm forward. This operatesthe dog j, and gives it a backward motion, and as it does not turnon itscenter, but on a point back of its center, the sharp corner of thedog-piecef bites or gripes firmly the feeding-rod N, and presses it hardagainst the opposite dog f. The pressure of the rod I still continuing,both dogs f f are then carried forward, advancing the nail-plate to thecutter to the proper degree. When the pressure of the rod I ceases, asthe machine oscillates back again, the springs e 6' draw back into theirformer position the respective pieces L and M, and their connectedparts; but as the feeding mechanism draws back it does not return therod N to its former position. Tovprevent such a result a holding devicebecomes necessary. 1 It consists of an upright post, 0, which lies infront of the feeding device, as shown inthe drawings, and passingthrough a slot in the rest H, oscillates to a small extent, laterally,upon the rocker-bar P, to which it is affixed, and which is hung oncenter points beneath the rest H, as shown in Fig.2. It is provided withflaring springs Q, to clutch the rod N, the pressure of which springs issufficient to prevent the feeding mechanism from drawing back the rod N,though they yield readily to the great power by which the feedingmechanism advances the rod. The small lateral oscillation is for thepurpose of accommodating the rod N whenever it maynot accurately holdthe nail-plate.

We claim as a novel and useful invention, and desire to secure byLettersPatent- 1. The presser-finger E, with its spring F and knob c, aflixedto a nail-cutting machine, and acting in combination with the grooves bb, cut in the collar D or barrel A, to force the nail-plate snuglyagainst the guard Gr, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The automatic feeding device, herein particularly described, andarranged as shown in Fig. 4, actuated by the rod I and springs e e,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In the feeding mechanism of a nail-cutting machine, a movable dog, f,turning on a pivot, g, back of its central line, and acting incombination with a stationary dog, f, to advance the finger-rod N,substantially as specified.

4.. The holding device, substantially as described, in combination withthe said feeding mechanism, as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIAM T. LEAOH. CHARLES H. DEARBORN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. E. WEST, JAMES A. WARREN.

